A small piece of good news for families with small children: Mr Varghese said the facilities on Christmas Island were ‘‘not suitable’’ for babies, particularly newborns, but parents feared the conditions on Nauru or Manus Island would be worse. He welcomed the department’s commitment not to move the babies or their families until at least 24 hours after the Federal Circuit Court determined the case of baby Farouz, who was born in Brisbane. A date has not been set for that hearing. ‘‘I’m pleased because it gives these families a degree of piece of mind, at least for the next little while, that they are not going to get that knock on the door in the middle of the night and be whisked off to Nauru,’’ Mr Varghese said. ‘‘From that perspective these 26 families can sleep easier at night.’’
Posted on: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 22:43:10 +0000